﻿﻿DIFFUSION﻿﻿ is my first novel, a labor of love. This story is strongly influenced by my love for adventure, my experiences in tropical rainforests, my experiences with teenage students, and my background in biology and technology. I have always enjoyed good action-packed stories that fire up my imagination, and my goal is to write novels that I personally would love to read. In that respect, Diffusion is a great success. I hope you like it. too.

Quentin Darnell was only a boy when his anthropologist parents were overcome by a professional failure so crushing it led to his father’s eventual suicide. Now a schoolteacher he’s looking for answers, and senses they can only be found in the wild terrains of Indonesian Papua. He leads his wife, son and six students on an educational expedition in search of the world’s most pristine environments and isolated aboriginal tribes. But political unrest is brewing and when disaster strikes Quentin is faced with a loss so unthinkable, the dark mysteries of the past quickly become irrelevant. Trapped in a vicious fight to protect the ones he loves, Quentin is on the brink of discovering a secret with the power to save lives, and change the destiny of humanity forever.

Below is my favorite review of Diffusion from Goodreads. This reader did a nice job of capturing the intended impact of the story (reviewed By Megan McCormack):

"Some spoilers below...Read with caution!

This was a fascinating book by first-time-published author, Stan Smith. What I particularly enjoyed was how quickly the book introduces action and conflict; this makes for a story that is riveting and engaging.

The setting of the book is different from a lot of books I've read lately, and I loved learning about Papua and the impact of anthropology and diffusion. What costs come with our interactions with other cultures? When we visit another country and civilization, is it only for our own needs? What happens when we make assumptions of those with beliefs and practices different than ours?

Smith explores these questions using elements of science fiction that I found to be unique and interesting. Using science fiction to investigate and address real-life issues is just one of the many ways that this book transcends multiple genres. Quentin, his family, and a small group of students start out as relatively naive characters with the goal of exploring another culture. After a mysterious plane crash, the characters quickly learn that their assumptions, mindsets, and previous ways of living must be discarded in order to try to understand their new situation and to adapt to their surroundings. Their arrival in this unfamiliar territory is devastating not only for themselves, but also for the tribe they encounter.

In this novel, the "end of the world" is presented in many ways: the death of loved ones, the end of a culture, the end of previous ways of living, the end of one's previously formed identity, the literal ending of the world, and more. The novel is not an apocalyptic novel, but it certain has some of those influences. The end of the world is something that many of the characters express, especially those from the tribe. They are aware of this (and have been expecting it for quite some time), while Quentin and the others struggle with trying to understand and shed their preconceived notions of the world and beyond.

This inability to "let go" and to be more open-minded is also represented in the fate of Quentin's son, and it causes many fatal problems for all the characters. Those from the tribe warned Quentin and his wife about Addison, but they refused to believe them until it was far too late. Even Samuel, a character who has been with this tribe for a couple hundred years, still fails to see that he is the one who is a relic of a closed-minded and damaging culture; he may see himself as progressive, but that is hardly the case.

What I've mentioned above is just a little piece of Diffusion; this creative and fast-paced novel is sure to fascinate many readers. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment in this series!"